Pick it up again
by Supernatural-Lover
Summary: Buffy and Angel meet again and try to start their relationship over...takes place after season seven finale
1. Default Chapter

Buffy mumbled to herself as she walked through the graveyard on patrol. It was dark and misty, and a light rain clung to her clothes and hair, making her shiver and wish that she had brought a jacket. The gravestones all seemed to jump out at her as she passed them, and she was reminded of crawling out of her own grave, all those years ago. *Well, things have changed since then* she thought. *We've crunched the first and all the other bad guys, and I'm still standing.* She stopped by a new headstone and sat on top of it, playing idly with the stake she had brought. She was waiting for a new vampire to wake up, because even though the Hellmouth was destroyed, there were still vampires. It had taken a long time to rebuild the town, as it was only a few miles away from where the original one had been, but just like the original, they still had their share of graveyards and churches. Buffy heard a soft crunching noise off to her right, and she peeked that way out of the corner of her eye, but didn't see anything. She slowly shifted her stake to he right hand, and peered to her right again. This time, she saw a flash of a feral face before she was knocked to the soft ground in front of the new headstone. Rolling to the left, she avoided the feet that stomped at her head, and jumped up behind the vampire. She snapped a kick into its jagged face and swept her feet under it, knocking it to the ground. As she moved in with her stake raised high, it was knocked from her hand by another vampire behind her. "Oh great." She muttered. Buffy was knocked sideways by the second vamp, and the first vamp came up and grabbed her head between his fingers. He began to squeeze, and she felt her skin bruise and wondered how they had snuck up on her. With a swift kick to the second vamp, Buffy wrestled to her feet began to fling her fists into the two vampire's faces. She punched one and then the other, slamming each impact until her hands began to ache. The two vamps still had left no opening for a staking, and she was getting tired. As suddenly as the other two had, a third vampire leapt out at Buffy from behind, but she sensed this one in time and ducked, causing the vamp to fly over her head and crash into a nearby headstone. He didn't get back up. The other two were still going strong, and Buffy had no idea where her stake had gone. She kept up her assault on the vamps, but she knew that she would lose this time. She was 25 now, and although that was very old for a slayer, she hadn't expected to get tired so fast. Her fists felt like they were punching iron, her skin reeled from various bruises. And still the fight went on. Just as she was beginning to feel her knees weaken and give out, the two vampires exploded into dust, and Buffy looked up into the face of a much more welcome creature of the night. "Hello Buffy." Angel said simply.  
  
As during the last fight with Caleb, their eyes met and Buffy and Angel kissed. Slightly embarrassed, she drew back, and stepped away from him. "You never get tired of saving my life, do you?" She asked softly. "It's much appreciated, by the way." He smiled at her playfully. "Well, sometimes you need rescuing. I'm surprised Xander isn't here to be your white knight, but I'm happy to fill in." At this, Buffy looked down at her boots, and felt tears well up in her eyes. She had tried so hard not to remember how it had happened, and now it was all coming back to her. The fall, and the blood, and then the funeral... "What is it?" Angel asked softly. "Did I say something wrong?" He looked into her eyes and noticed with alarm the tears that hung on her face. "Xander's dead Angel," She said simply. "He fell off of a roof during a construction project. All the times he fought demons and evil, and in the end it was gravity that killed him." She laughed harshly. "He would have gotten a kick out of that irony." Angel took her in his arms in a warm hug, and Buffy cried bitterly into his shoulder. "When did it happen?" He asked tenderly. "A couple of months ago. It was so wrong Angel! We were going to go and check out the new club, but he had to finish the roof first because we were expecting some bad weather...." She stopped and broke into sobs again. "It's okay." He said softly. "It's alright. I'm here now." Buffy nodded against his shoulder. "Yes, you're here. But you won't stay. You never do." At this, Angel looked down at her sad face and loved her more than ever. Leaning down, he kissed her again, and he felt a passion long suppressed rise inside him again. Buffy noticed, and looked at him quizzically. "Are you staying?" She asked, taking in his handsome, timeless face. "I don't know Buffy. I'll be here for a little bit, but after that, I just don't know." 


	2. coming home

Angel walked into the Summer's house and marveled at how little it had changed. The furniture was a little bit different, but he knew that various fights in Buffy's house had caused a lot of it to break, so that was no surprise. In fact, he had once hoped to make the house fall down on top of the slayer as she slept. But that hadn't really been him. It had been the demon inside of him. Angel couldn't believe the Buffy still wanted him in her life. After all of the pain that he had caused her, all the tears she cried because of him, she still loved him. And that meant more to Angel than anything. He looked over at the slayer and took in her appearance. Even though she had been fighting vampires and had various dark-colored bruises that her clothes didn't cover, Angel thought she looked beautiful. Her hands were tightened into nervous fists, and Angel remembered what it had been like to feel those hands on him, to know that he wouldn't sleep alone, to smell her and taste her. Then he shook himself firmly and turned away from Buffy. That could never happen again. With resolve, he turned around to face her again. "I can't stay her Buffy. Not in this house. Not knowing that you're asleep upstairs...I just can't." Buffy looked at him with wide eyes. Her body tensed visibly, and she raised her chin. "Don't make this any harder than it has to be, Angel. We know that that line can't ever be crossed again. Both of us know it. And we can make it work. If you don't stay here, you'd have to stay in a crypt somewhere, because hotels might have open windows, and you know what that will do to your vampire complexion." Angel looked at his feet. "Fine" He said, "But I'm sleeping in the basement." "Ok." Buffy said softly. "I'll get you some blankets." She walked upstairs to the closet, and Angel couldn't help but watch her as she walked. He sighed deeply. *It's gonna be a long night.* He thought. 


	3. Basement

The best word that Buffy could think of to describe Angel was timeless. He looked exactly the same as when she'd first met him, and she couldn't help but notice. Did he think her aged? She didn't think that she looked bad at all, not for 25. Her muscles were rippling, covering every part of her like coiled wire. She wore her hair long, partly curled most of the time, although she pulled it back for patrolling. She didn't have any wrinkles to speak of, and her eyes were still bright, although not as bright as they once were.  
Buffy turned away from the mirror of the bathroom and reached into the white cabinet for towels. They were fluffy, just like her mother had liked them. Buffy assumed that Angel would want to take a shower, so she also set out the shampoos in plain view on the counter. Turning out the light, she stepped out of the hallway and turned to the coat closet, where she pulled out three blankets. They smelled clean and fresh, but soon they would smell like Angel. Her heart constricted at the thought.  
Closing the door, Buffy stepped down the stairs that led to the basement. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Angel practicing his punches on her new suspended fighting bag. Sweat beaded his forehead and arms and his muscles flashed beneath his white shirt. She walked past him to place the blankets on a cot, and Angel changed positions and started kicking the bag with perfect technique.  
"Looks like you've stayed in shape." Buffy said loudly, smiling at him. He turned to face her and grinned.  
"Yeah, sitting at a desk is really good exercise." His eyes flickered in the dim light of the basement and he seemed taller than when she'd last seen him.  
"You must do a lot of good with that company. Have you turned it around yet?" She asked, sincerely curious. Angel looked at her seriously for a moment and seemed to think before he said, "It's been hard, and we've got a long way to go, but it's getting better."  
Buffy smiled up at him and laid her hand on his arm.  
"I know you can do it. You can do anything."  
Angel looked at her for a long moment, his brown eyes unreadable in his face. His hand suddenly reached for hers and their fingers interlocked. He brought his head down and rested it on hers, drawing in a deep breath.  
"This is so hard." She whispered.  
Angel lifted his head and looked down at her.  
"I know."  
She expected him to say more, but then figured out that he didn't need to. He said everything just by being here, by holding her hand, by sticking around. She could ask no more of him or herself.  
"Does it ever get easier?" She asked softly, almost afraid of the answer. He touched her chin gently and lifted it up so that she was looking him in the eye.  
"Not for me." He said simply. "I've looked this over from every angle. You make me happy, Buffy. And I cherish that more than you know. Every minute with you is like a lifetime, but still much too short. Whenever I sleep, I dream about you being with me, when I'm awake I wonder why you're not. It will never be easy for me. I'm in love with you, and I can't just make that go away."  
Buffy stepped away from him and wiped a tear from her cheek. When she spoke, her voice was shaky.  
"Would you make it stop if you could?"  
Angle brought her close to him again and brought his hand up to her cheek.  
"No. I wouldn't. What would there be left to live for then?"  
She smiled a watery smile and they kissed in the dim light. Softly at first, and then harder and more insistent as they neared the place where they both would have to stop. Angel's shirt somehow ended up on the cot, and Buffy ran her hands over his skin, tormenting him with her soft fingers. They sank to the floor and rocked against the wall. His hands roamed her back and caught in her hair. Breathless, they broke away from each other. When Buffy looked at Angel through blurry eyes, she saw that he had been crying too. Taking a deep breath to try and calm her heart, Buffy stood up.  
"I'll be upstairs if you need anything else."  
Then she left.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
Angel took a deep breath, even though he didn't need to breathe at all. He had barely been able to control himself, and it was only Buffy's leaving the room that had made him stop. His every muscle was singing with need for her and he swallowed shakily. He thought of Buffy sleeping upstairs in a big, soft bed and growled to himself. He noticed a set of chains on the wall, and not caring what they had been used for or who had last been in them, he latched one of his wrists into the iron hold. *It's for Buffy.* he told himself. *I have to protect her.*  
As the night went on, Angel's body wrenched and tore as his feral self pulled against the chains. Buffy's scent was everywhere and it was driving a lust through him like he'd never felt before. There was a bit of Angelus shining in his eyes now, and if Buffy had been stupid enough to come downstairs to investigate the noise he was making, she would have cost Angel his soul again. But as dawn came closer he began to control himself, and just as the sun rose above the hills, he unchained his hand and closed his eyes on the cot that Buffy had pulled out for him. *I have to do something.* he thought. *Spike earned his soul. Maybe I can go and earn mine and the curse will be replaced* That was his last conscious moment, and then he was fast asleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
  
Buffy had no idea what had made Angel go wacky during the night, but it had kept her awake until morning had already come. Groaning, she staggered up to close the blinds. As she did so, her eyes widened. She bolted down out of her room and down the stairs, running with all of her slayer strength. She tripped down the basement stairs in her haste and landed in a heap on the floor. Grunting, she got up and ran to the open window to the right of Angel's cot. It was full length, and had a set of blinds, but she had installed heavy curtains in case he had ever come to stay with her. The light was inches from Angel's feet when she yanked down the blinds and pulled the heavy curtains. Panting and crying, she fell to the floor in a heap, wondering why Angel had slept so late, wondering why she had forgotten the window, and then unable to get past the thought that she had almost lost him. She was still there when Angel finally woke up, but by then she was composed, and she immediately asked him what he wanted for breakfast. He blinked up at her, noticing the tear streaks on her face, but not saying anything about it.  
"I'll eat whatever you fix." He said with a smile.  
Buffy plastered a grin on her face and walked to the edge of the stairs.  
"Ok. Then get ready for a big bowl of cereal because that's all I can cook."  
She walked up the stairs and washed her face in the bathroom before going to the kitchen and setting out all of the needed materials for breakfast. When Angel came upstairs, he gave her a hug and smiled.  
"Looks like a good breakfast. So, what did you do when you woke up this morning?" He asked.  
Buffy looked up at him and grinned.  
"I saved your life." She said triumphantly, raising her eyebrows and smiling brightly.  
"I see." Angel chuckled. "Well, I guess the brave lady deserves to have breakfast made for her instead."  
Buffy made a face at him.  
"I was wondering when you would remember your manners and suggest that." Angel walked over to the table and poured her preferred cereal, then pulled out her chair.  
"There you go. I have now repaid you for saving my life." His eyes said that he thought she was joking, so Buffy just looked up at him and smiled. He didn't have to know. It was enough that he was here. 


	4. tree

Angel looked at Buffy with admiration. They were once again in the basement, having agreed that a good workout would lessen the tension between them. They were both wearing sparring gloves and shoes, and had been fighting for the past few minutes. The fighting bag had been taken down and the cot had been folded to give them more room.  
Angel smiled at Buffy as she paused to wipe a stray hair away from her face. As soon as she was ready, he rushed her from the side. Grabbing her around the waist, he tossed her easily to the side and brought his fists up lightly to her kidneys. She grunted and grabbed his head with her feet, flipping over him neatly and snapping him upside down. With a grin, she ran at him and slammed a fist into his stomach.  
"Take that!" She cried triumphantly.  
"You cheated." He said with a grin. "I had you."  
"We'll see about that," she yelled with false anger.  
Grabbing the pull-up bar above her, Buffy swung her legs over it and straddled the metal. She dangled her feet just out of Angel's reach and giggled as he tried to reach her.  
When he finally gave up, she flipped down to land in front of him.  
"Are you up for another round?" She taunted.  
Angel just looked at her with a grin. Without another word, she sprinted for the stairs and jumped up them three at a time. She ran down the hall to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.  
Angel stopped just outside the door, hesitant to go in, but his enjoyment of their game won out and he pushed the door open. He found the room empty, with the curtain for the window blowing in the breeze. Not knowing how much time had passed, he was surprised to see that it was dark outside. But his surprise turned to wonder when he saw Buffy scrambling down the tree outside of her window.  
He didn't even bother with the tree, but jumped out the window and rolled in midair to land on his feet. He hit the ground a second before Buffy, but it was enough, and he shoved her back into the tree.  
"Looks like you lost," he said with a fake growl.  
Her eyes said otherwise, and she struggled against him.  
"Ah, ah, ah, you wouldn't want me to bite, now, would you?"  
She said nothing, but glared at him playfully.  
"Try it." She said hotly.  
Releasing her arm with one hand, Angel caught her hair in his fist and pulled her neck to the left. Slowly and deliberately, he began to kiss the soft skin at her neck. She squirmed against him, but slowly his other hand circled her waist and pressed her to him. She found her hand tangled in his hair, and slid the other into his pocket. He moaned against her neck. Then he brought his mouth to hers and kissed her hungrily. Between moist mouthfuls, Buffy took in deep breaths of cold air, feeling her heart thump wildly as Angel touched her. Time seemed to stand still, wrapped up in the same suspended passion as the couple against the tree. The wind rocked through the small, re-built town of Sunnydale, and Buffy was lost in Angel's arms, taken on the ground. Both of their hearts, one beating, one silent, sang with joy. 


End file.
